


The Temple that Takes

by Larxicana



Series: Linked Universe [11]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Contemplation, Family Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), More bitterness than angst, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 18:49:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21166343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larxicana/pseuds/Larxicana
Summary: A sudden deluge forces the boys to take shelter in the last place Time thought he would ever step foot in again. A place that stole everything from him when he was just a little boy.





	The Temple that Takes

**Author's Note:**

> Gotta give my OG Link some love.
> 
> Based off of Jojo's Linked Universe!

The down pour came out of no where. “This way!” Wild cried over the roar of water then darted up a set of stairs to the right of the path they were walking. The boys had little choice but to follow, some using their shields to protect their faces from the onslaught. Wild led them through ruins no one paid mind to, until they reached a grand structure at the very top. There were no doors at this point, windows were shattered, and there were a few holes in the roof, but it was better protection than staying outside.

They rushed inside, letting out groans about the sudden weather change. Wild pushed his hood off his head and pulled his slate out to study, frowning. “Sorry about that.” He spoke as he sheepishly looked over at the others. “Usually it tells me when it’s going to ruin. It must still be a little dazed from all the time travel.”

A few of the others grumbled, but Sky leaned over curiously, “It can predict something like that?” He asked. Wild smiled at him and nodded, then proceeded to show him, telling him what he knew of the device.

While the others pulled off their soaked boots and got a fire started to dry everything off, Time stood by the door, watching the rain poor from the sky in buckets. It was amazing how quickly the weather had moved in. His eye drifted back to the blown out structures they had passed along their frantic run up the stairs, taking in how they were little more than free standing walls at this point. He knew Wild’s world was damaged from Ganon’s onslaught, but it was something else to see it in person.

After a moment he pushed his wet bangs back against his head then turned to check on the others, when he heard it. It was so faint and there were heavy pauses between notes, but even after all this time, he would never forget this song. Even after all this time, the stone of the temple hadn’t forgotten this song. Time lifted his eye to study the building, the way the windows stretched high above them, the way the rafter curved against the ceiling… The wall on the left side had been blown out and nature had started to reclaim what once belonged to it, but there was no mistaking it. This… was The Temple of Time.

It had been, well… it was hard to say. When he first entered the temple, he was seven. Now he figured his physical body had to be in its thirties. Still, it felt like eons since he had been within these walls. The years had taken its toll on the stone, just as it had his soul. What once sung a powerful, entrancing melody now only whispered, like the lingering smell of a bakery in the breeze.

He looked at the ground and saw stone peeking through the grass that was quickly overtaking it. He wondered if the warp pad hid somewhere underneath or if they removed it when the structure was renovated over the years. He moved to the center and nudged at the dirt, but didn’t care to dig too deeply. Continuing forward, he found the alter where he had placed the spirit stones was missing. Probably for the better, honestly. Wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened last time. Up the stairs that once led to a secret door, now stood a very tall statue of what looked like a woman with a hood. He must have looked puzzled by it, because Wild came up beside him and pointed to it.

“It’s a goddess statue.” He explained.

“They dedicated the temple to the goddess?” Time asked as he looked down at him.

Wild shrugged, “I don’t know. As of right now, I have no memories of this place. All I know is its name, and that’s just because the slate told me.” He pulled out the device again to look at.

“And what is its name now?”

The boy looked up at him, “The Temple of Time.”

The eldest nodded and looked back up at the statue, tilting his head. He heard her song, a melody all her own that played at all of her alters and shrines. However, it was quieter here; just a gentle hum against the whisper of the temple’s original sound, as though she knew she did not belong here, that the space was already filled with a different sort of magic.

Time climbed up the stairs slowly, running his fingertips over the railing. He moved around the statue to peer behind it, but found only windows. There was no door or secret room. He stepped as close to the window as he could without getting wet and looked out into the water soaked forest that stretched out below. This place… it wasn’t the same temple he stepped into all those years ago, at least not in appearance. He wondered if perhaps after the events of his youth,they sealed that back room to keep people from wandering in again. That would make sense. There was a small, bitter thought that rose in him at this, wondering why they hadn’t done that in the first place. Why make it so easy and obvious? He was seven and he figured it out. _Seven._ The man took a slow deep breath to banish the thought. No, that was many moons ago. There was no use in wasting his energy on being bitter about something that he couldn’t change. Even if he wanted to go back and perhaps not wake up that faithful morning, the goddess wouldn’t allow it. There were just some moments in history he wasn’t allowed to alter. It had been his destiny to wake up that morning, blissfully unaware of how much he was about to lose.

“Time?”

The man blinked when he realized he had lost himself to his memories then turned to see Wild and Twilight standing there watching him, hidden from the others by the statue towering above. They looked concerned, like they wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what. Finally, Twilight asked, “Everything ok?”

Time stared at them, then glanced around the temple again. He listened to its ancient song that was embedded in the stone and the soil, and had been for thousands of years. It reminded him of the day his freedom and his childhood was taken from him, but as his eye came back to the boys standing in front of him, realized something else. If there was anyone in all of existence who understood the cause and effect one action had on the world, it would be him. Yes, he lost a great deal that day, and the millions more that came after, but he also gained a few things. Two of those things were standing right in front of him. This sent a warmth through him that washed away the bitterness this place brought up in him.

He sighed through his nose as his tensions melted and smiled at them. He walked over to them and put his hands on their heads. He ruffled their hair a little, causing them to make faces and raise their shoulders, then lifted their heads up by their chins. He admired them for a moment, then finally replied, “Yeah, I think… everything’s pretty good right now.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a hc that Time can hear the song, the story, that a structure or place holds. So all those temple themes? He hears them too.


End file.
